by J. L. Wilder
What outcome was he hoping for?
A pregnancy would complicate things horribly. Bringing back an omega he’d slept with and trying to conceal that fact was one thing, but if she was pregnant, there would be no hope of concealing it. The only way to cover up his guilt would be to say that one of the Savage Rangers had fathered her litter, and Emmett refused to do that. He would take responsibility, if there was responsibility to be taken.
And he couldn’t deny that a part of him hoped there would be. A part of him wanted to see her body ripen with his litter, even though he’d spent years telling himself that babies would do nothing but hamper his way of life. A part of him wanted this excuse to stay by her side. If she was having his litter, he couldn’t leave her.
He felt a fluttering in his gut. Maybe this was happening for a reason. Maybe this was nature’s way of telling them they were meant to stay together. Maybe she had conceived so quickly—so unnaturally quickly—because he was meant to father her children.
The bathroom door opened, and he turned to face her, bracing himself for bad news, still not knowing which news he would consider bad.
She held out the pregnancy test. “It’s positive,” she said quietly. “I’m pregnant, Emmett.”
He stood still for a long moment, heart soaring, hardly able to believe it. Then he pulled her suddenly and swiftly into his arms. He could feel a change in her body, he marveled, even just embracing her now. She was just a little bit bigger than she had been a few days ago. If he hadn’t known her body as well as he did, he would never have noticed it.
“You’re happy?” she asked.
“I’ve never been happier in my life,” he said, holding her tightly. “I can’t believe it!”
“But Emmett—” she pulled back so that she could look him in the eyes. “What are we going to do? How are we going to make this work? Should we run away?”
He was on the verge of saying yes. It might be the only sensible thing to do. He couldn’t very well ask Matthew for the reward, now that he’d gotten her pregnant. And the Hell’s Wolves, wherever they were, were apt to be furious with him.
But a pregnancy on the road...giving birth in the wild...
“We should still take you home,” he decided.
She frowned. “You’re not going to leave me, are you?”
“No. Never. But maybe we can convince your pack to let me stay.”
Her eyes widened. “You’d join with us? Really?”
“I told you I’d live in a house for you, didn’t I?” he asked. “Do you think they’d have me?”
“I think they might! You have all kinds of important skills. You’re a fighter. You could protect me better than any of them, if the Rangers come back. And you’re the father of my children.” She rested a hand on her belly. “They’ve got to at least consider it, right?”
He hugged her again, overwhelmed at the idea that they might actually be able to stay together and build a life with each other, that they might have their own little pack.
Two alphas in the same household would be hard. But, he reasoned, they could make it work. He and Hazel would have their own room. He would be alpha over her and their children. He wouldn’t try to assert any authority over the rest of Matthew’s pack They would share space and otherwise leave each other alone.
And if Matthew wasn’t open to the idea, well, then they would leave. He would take Hazel and they would ride north, maybe into Canada, and live wild. He almost didn’t care which way things went. Either outcome would mean that he and his omega would be together. Either way, he would be happy.
He bought a bottle of soda for himself and a water for Hazel. “Good news?” the cashier asked, taking in the way he and Hazel were clinging to each other.
“The best,” she said, giving him a squeeze. “We’re going to be parents!”
“Mazel tov.” The cashier handed over their drinks and gave Emmett his change.
They made their way back out to the bike and climbed aboard. This time, as they pulled out onto the highway, Emmett rode slowly for an entirely different reason. He was no longer dreading the return to the Coywolves—in fact, he felt a little excited about it. But he had precious cargo aboard. He couldn’t afford to do anything reckless anymore.
Chapter Thirteen
HAZEL
It felt like a million years had gone by since she had left the Coywolves. Now, as Emmett idled his bike in front of the big house that had once been her home, Hazel stared up at the familiar windows and wondered if there was still a place for her here.
“Matthew might be angry,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant.”
“We’ll explain what happened.” Emmett turned off the bike and dismounted. She joined him on the sidewalk, pressing her shoulder into his side for comfort, and he wrapped his arm around her. He must have been nervous, she thought, but he didn’t show it. He was perfectly calm and confident.
“Promise we’ll figure it out?” she asked. “No matter what happens in there?”
“Of course,” he said. “There’s no way I’m going to let you go now, Hazel Lang. We’re going to be a family. I promise you that.”
She nodded.
“Are you ready to go in?”
“I think so. Yes.”
They walked up the brick path to the front door hand in hand, but when they reached the porch Hazel let go. Breaking the news of their new relationship to Matthew would be complicated. Better not to spring it on him by being all over each other as soon as they came into the house.
The door opened. With a cry, Rita flung herself on Hazel and kissed her cheeks. “You’re all right!” she cried. “We were so worried!”
Hazel submitted to being hugged. She had to admit, it was a relief to be home. “I’m all right,” she said.
“Come in, come in,” Rita said, beckoning Emmett to follow as she hustled Hazel into the kitchen. “Matthew will want to thank you personally, I know. Hazel, everyone else just sat down to dinner. Would you like to eat, or would you rather get some rest? Or maybe a shower?”
“I’m starving, actually,” Hazel said.
“Wonderful. We’re having beef stew. I’ll fix you a bowl. Will you stay?” she called over her shoulder to Emmett.
“I’d like that,” he said. “Thank you.”
Hazel had to smile at the thought of Emmett tasting Rita’s cooking. That diner food was good stuff, but Rita’s food was on a whole other level.
Everyone jumped up from their seats when she entered the room. There was a great clamor to hug her and to pat her on the back. Even Gianna joined in, Hazel noticed, although there was something unpleasant in her eyes and Hazel got the feeling she was just putting on a show of relief, just going through the motions. She wasn’t actually happy to see Hazel back. Matthew was the last to reach her, and rather than hugging her, he held her at arm’s length and looked her carefully up and down.
“You look well,” he said.
Rather than feeling complimented, Hazel felt as if she had just passed a test for which she’d been unprepared. “I’m all right,” she said.
“Tell us what happened.”
“She can eat something first, surely?” Rita interjected.
“No,” Matthew said. “Tell us what happened.”
It was an order, and Hazel expected to feel the familiar compulsion to obey. But to her surprise, nothing came. She answered him, anyway, not wanting to arouse suspicion. “It was my fault,” she said. “I left the backyard, and that’s when they caught me. They put me in the back of their truck and took me to a bunker.”
“Who did?”
“They call themselves the Savage Rangers.”
“A wild pack,” Matthew said, looking around at the others significantly. “This is what happens when shifters refuse to live within society’s structures and confines. They become violent. Criminal. Animal.”
Hazel felt Emmett shift uncomfortably beside her. She felt a bit uncomfortable herself. What had h
appened to her had been harrowing. It felt strange to hear Matthew use it as a morality tale like this.
“Then what?” he asked her.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, what did they do to you once they had you in the bunker?”
She stared. Was he asking whether she’d been assaulted? Was that a question he expected an answer to here and now, in front of the entire pack?
“Hang on,” Emmett stepped forward. “This is getting a bit personal, isn’t it?”
Matthew looked at Emmett as if noticing his presence for the first time. “Oh, you’re wanting payment, I suppose? Why don’t you step into the living room and I’ll be with you in a moment?”
Emmett crossed his arms over his chest. “I was invited to dinner,” he said.
Hazel looked from one alpha to the other nervously. If they were already posturing like this, things weren’t going well. “He saved my life,” she interjected. “I don’t know what the Rangers would have done to me if Emmett hadn’t gotten there when he did.” It was an answer to the question Matthew had originally asked, a show of submission to him. They would have done something, but they didn’t. And it was also a plea for kindness toward Emmett.
Matthew had been cornered. She could see that he knew it, and she could see how little he liked it. But what could he do? “All right,” he said. “Dinner, then payment. And then you’ll be on your way.” He gestured to a seat at the opposite end of the table from Hazel, and although Hazel couldn’t imagine why, her alpha was deliberately trying to put distance between her and her rescuer.
Paisley took the seat next to Hazel and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. “We were so worried.”
Hazel thought back to what Emmett had told her about none of the Coywolves going looking for her themselves. She believed Paisley had been worried. But she also believed that worry had probably taken the form of sitting around the house and wringing her hands.
But really, how could she blame her friend? Paisley didn’t know how to fight. Paisley’s days were mostly spent doing things like reading, shopping, and giggling at reality TV show contestants. Very human, Emmett would have said. She met his eyes across the table and thought he looked angry. Suddenly, she wasn’t at all sure that having dinner together like this had been a good idea.
Rita ladled warm beef stew into bowls and set them on the table in front of Emmett and Hazel. Hazel watched as Emmett tasted the stew, first doubtfully, then with increasing appetite. Even though she was hungry, she only picked at her own meal. She was too nervous to eat. Everyone was excited to see her now, but what would happen when they learned she was pregnant? What would Matthew say when Emmett asked to stay?
At last, the plates were empty, and Rita got up to clear. Matthew stood too and beckoned to Emmett. “Join me in the living room,” he said, “and we’ll settle our finances.”
Emmett got up to follow Matthew, and Hazel immediately left her seat at the table and went with him. In the hall, when nobody was watching, she rested her hand on the small of his back for just a moment, hoping to settle any nerves he might be having. He hadn’t seemed nervous so far, but he had shown signs of irritation and even anger, and Hazel knew that could be a problem. If he and Matthew started yelling at each other, this wasn’t going to go well.
Matthew took a seat in his armchair in the living room, only then seeming to notice that Hazel was there. “What are you doing here?” he asked her. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“It does, actually,” Emmett said in what Hazel thought was a sufficiently humble tone. “Both of us have something to discuss with you.”
“Nonsense. Hazel, go on back to the kitchen now and help the others with the dishes.”
Once again, his words had the weight of an order. Once again, Hazel felt no compulsion to obey. The authority Matthew had always had over her appeared to be broken.
It was a scary thought. Matthew had always been responsible for her. He had cared for her, raised her, steered her right all her life. There was safety in knowing that your alpha was ultimately responsible for your decisions. Now, she felt untethered. Like her pregnancy, it was an unexpected consequence of her relationship with Emmett. She hadn’t expected to feel so thoroughly cut off from her family.
Matthew was staring at her as if she were an alien. “I told you to go,” he said.
“But Emmett is right,” she said. “We both need to talk to you.”
“It’s an order, Hazel.”
“Matthew—”
His eyes widened, and she saw rage on his face. “You haven’t submitted to him, have you?”
“What’s going on?” Emmett was clearly in the dark.
“She’s not taking orders! What did you do to her?”
“Matthew, can we please just talk?” Hazel asked. “It really isn’t that big a deal.”
“Not that big a deal? He was hired to bring you back to us, not to kidnap you himself!”
Paulie poked his head in. “What’s all the shouting?”
Matthew was on his feet. “He did something,” he said, pointing at Emmett. “She’s not submitting to me anymore.”
Paulie stared at Hazel, wide eyed. “This dirtbag is your alpha now?”
“He’s not a dirtbag,” she said. “And he’s not my alpha either.”
“If your connection to me is broken, it means you have a new alpha.” Matthew turned to Emmett. “Give her an order.”
Emmett shook his head. “I’m not going to do that.”
“This is what you wanted to talk to me about? The fact that you stole from me?”
“Man, she isn’t property.” Emmett raked a hand through his hair. “And no, that’s not what we wanted to talk about. Look, we’re getting sidetracked here.”
“I’ll decide if we’re getting sidetracked,” Matthew snapped. He turned to Paulie. “Get the rest of the family. Get them in here. Now.”
Hazel shivered. She wished Emmett would put an arm around her, but maybe it was for the best that he didn’t. Matthew looked as if he was about to punch him in the nose as it was. She settled for leaning a little further into the space occupied by his body—not close enough to touch, but close enough to draw comfort from the nearness of him.
She had never seen Matthew enraged like this. He had always been kind to her, had always been gentle. Now, she could see that he had never been crossed. If she had defied him, she suspected this side of him would have come out a lot sooner.
And he didn’t even know the worst of what she’d done yet.
Paulie returned. The rest of the pack was trailing behind him. Some, like Paisley, looked anxious. Others looked excited, as if they couldn’t wait to see what their alpha was going to unleash on this outsider.
“You go after my omega,” Matthew said. “At my request, and with the offer of a very generous reward. And instead of bringing her home, you manipulate her. You brainwash her.”
“He didn’t brainwash me,” Hazel said.
“Shut up,” Matthew said.
But this had gone too far. He couldn’t force her to be quiet. Not anymore. “He didn’t do anything to me,” she said. “He was going to bring me back right away, only we had to mislead the Rangers so they wouldn’t follow us back here. And on our way, I... well... I...”
She trailed off, not knowing exactly how to describe what had happened. Everyone was staring at her, clearly waiting for some kind of explanation.
“I’m pregnant,” she said. It came out sounding much more meek and hesitant than she’d hoped. She’d meant to say it defiantly.
“Holy shit,” Paulie breathed.
Matthew stared at them both, a muscle in his jaw twitching. For a long time, he didn’t move or speak. He was enraged, that was easy enough to see. Was there any hope at all that he would let them stay together?
“Rita,” he said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. “Take Hazel out of here, please.”
“I’m not leaving,” she said. “
I’m with Emmett now, Matthew. We’re together. We came to tell you because we wanted to belong to your pack. Together. Both of us.”
“Take Hazel out of here,” he repeated as if he hadn't heard her.
Rita’s hand was on her arm. “Come on, Hazel,” she said softly. “You don’t want to be here right now. Let’s go upstairs. We’ll get you out of these grubby clothes and into something nice, how’s that?”
“I like these clothes.” She shook Rita off. “And I’m not leaving.”
Rita made eye contact with Gianna and Paisley. A moment later, the two of them had Hazel by the arms and were dragging her from the room. Hazel dug in her heels and tried not to be moved, but it was no good. The three women together were stronger than she was.
They had just reached the doorway when Paulie picked up his bat.
Hazel understood what was about to happen a split second before it did. “No!” she screamed. Emmett, who had been watching her go, spun around and the bat caught him on the shoulder. He went down hard against the coffee table and bounced to the floor, letting out a cry of pain.
But it was already too late. The male Coywolves descended on Emmett, glee on their faces, pummeling every inch of him they could reach. Hazel heard him letting out grunts and groans, heard the painful sound of punches and kicks meeting their target.
“Stop it!” she screamed. “What are you doing? Stop it!” She strained against Paisley’s and Gianna’s hold. Rita wrapped her arms around Hazel’s torso and held her, but Hazel bucked so wildly that she still almost managed to throw the three of them off.
Matthew, who had not joined in the fight, now walked to the writing desk in the corner and opened one of the drawers. He came up with a pistol in his hand. “Stop,” he said, approaching the mass of bodies in the center of the room.
The fighting stopped immediately. Of course. It had been an order.
Everyone backed off as Matthew approached. He put the barrel of the gun to Emmett’s head and looked up at Hazel. “Should I kill him?”
“No! Please!”
“Then submit to me,” Matthew said.
“I submit! Jesus, I submit!”